Re: [jazz_guitar] Fractured vertebra on the gig
JVeg...@aol.com
Man, here's wishing you the speediest recovery, back pain is
the worst... Also sounds like you got married somewhere in
there, congratulations to you both! Stay in touch if it's not too
painful to do so.
Cheers,
JV
Juan Vega
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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akmbirch
Wow, wishing you all the best.
I know ALL about back pain! Had a whole PA stack fall on me when I was 15 years old, I'll spare you the details, but it has meant that I have suffered back pain on and off all my life. I have to avoid lifting or else my back will "go out" (yea, and the rest of the band hate you as can't help lift any equipment!). So I know how debilatating it is overall.
All you can do is rest up until things heal. Later light exercises to get things moving. You might find these books useful as you heal:
8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back
Esther Gokhale
Healing Back Pain Naturally
Art Brownstein
Rest up!
--
Alisdair MacRae Birch
Guitarist/Bassist/Educator/Arranger
http://www.alisdair.com
Jeff Shirkey
I will join the loud chorus of folks who will surely be wishing you
well. I hope a full recovery is in your near future.
Hang in there.
Jeff
thegoodwizard
Just checking in as I am sort of back in circulation....
I finished my LONG series of 7 set (3 consecutive weekend days) gig a 400 mile drive away.
The last 2 weeks were challenging. I had slipped in the tub a few days before I drove to Phoenix from LA about 2 weeks ago and unknowingly fractured my L1 vertebra (severe fracture, they called it on the report).
I was like a turtle on it's back, and it took me a half hour to leverage my self upright, as my tub/shower is more like a coffin with nothing to grip on to lift one's self up, Also I was in some major discomfort, as you might well imagine with the outcome of the fall.
The problems with the numbness in my fingers took a back seat to this fracture, can I tell you. I almost passed out from the pain several times.
The first weekend I didn't know it was broken. I thought I had just tweaked it really bad. However we got X-Rays during the 3 days off and my wife called me on my cell 100 mikes out of Phoenix in the car going to the 2nd weekend gig and said "you'd better pull over, I have bad news!"
Shit, they found a gigantic tumor on the tests, I am thinking.
I kept driving. "Give me the bad news." I said. To which she replied "You have a broken spine."
I went ahead and did the gig anyway. The fracture left me mobile (kinda) and the break had been that way for 10 days, so we knew it wasn't an unstable fracture requiring surgery. Just really painful. Sitting wasn't as bad as standing and /or walking so I sat and played for the sets and hobbled directly to the car and sat there during the breaks.
I did buy a lumbar support hard chair pillow on the second day of the gig for the stage chair, which saved my ass (literally) Otherwise, I would have had no relief sitting or standing and since I can't play for a crowd lying horizontal, I would have been screwed completely. The people that hired me were really super, and I masked the pain pretty well. I only moaned, whined and cried when I was well off the stage and out of the building.....
BTW, I had no good pain meds. (I do now though). So all in all it was tough. The only saving grace was my wife flew out to help me load up and drive back. She is a Physician's Assistant, so I had my own 'wet' nurse show up on the gig.... go figure.... haha
Anyway, as I sit typing now the pain is tolerable but I have to stay off my feet or the stabbing sensations start to motor up and within 10 minutes upright I am biting my tongue and crying like a little baby.... ;0)
Not sure who else has had to perform through injuries of this sort, but I am sure most of the veteran players on this list have stories too.
I am passing this on because I have been in too much pain to answer emails, and to really stay in touch with folks. I hope to at least get to the emails I have missed in the next few days.
Also.... I wanted to check in and let all my forum friends know I was not dead, (only half dead)
I actually have missed posting on the forum and staying in touch with you guys, as I have a lot of guitar buddies here.
So, I'm back, such as it is.... (ouch, ouch)
;0)
Doc Dosco
http://www.docdosco.com
Doc's Peerless guitar website
http://www.jazzguitarzone.com
John Amato
... at least it wasn't gun fire ...
.... me thinks it's natures' way of saying 'slow down.'
Be well, get rest, and heal up ... I'll keep you in my prayers ....
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Brian Kelly
All of this sounds terrible. What does this mean over the long haul. Are you going to get all the way better or what? I hope so.
I'll probably call you later this week.
In the meantime "All The Best".
Brian
Ron Becker
injury. Speed recovery to ya.
Ron
Living and playing outside the box.
http://www.myspace.com/ron45becker
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
Dave Woods
_____
All I can say Doc is I know what of you speak.
My last escapade was bringing a heavy desk down the stairs by myself. I was
in front of it inching it down, when it took off and threw me over the
railing. I landed flat on my back in the hall 6 feet down. I've recovered
somewhat but I'm always in pain. If I stand too long I have pain shooting
down my left leg, and the outside of my thigh goes numb. Here's my un asked
for advice. DO NOT fuck around with this LAY OUT and let it heal, and above
all do what they tell you. Take some advice from an old hacked up busted up
old geezer like me. The older you are the longer it takes you to heal. The
older you are, the more the wear and tear and other accident damage comes
back to haunt you.
Dave (the basket case) Woods
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Dub Deklawni
mend up.
Ciao.
ROBERT FERRARI
Rob
________________________________
From: thegoodwizard <d...@doctoraudio.com>
To: jazz_...@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, November 5, 2009 4:04:26 PM
Subject: [jazz_guitar] Fractured vertebra on the gig
Hi all,
Just checking in as I am sort of back in circulation. ...
I finished my LONG series of 7 set (3 consecutive weekend days) gig a 400 mile drive away.
The last 2 weeks were challenging. I had slipped in the tub a few days before I drove to Phoenix from LA about 2 weeks ago and unknowingly fractured my L1 vertebra (severe fracture, they called it on the report).
I was like a turtle on it's back, and it took me a half hour to leverage my self upright, as my tub/shower is more like a coffin with nothing to grip on to lift one's self up, Also I was in some major discomfort, as you might well imagine with the outcome of the fall.
The problems with the numbness in my fingers took a back seat to this fracture, can I tell you. I almost passed out from the pain several times.
The first weekend I didn't know it was broken. I thought I had just tweaked it really bad. However we got X-Rays during the 3 days off and my wife called me on my cell 100 mikes out of Phoenix in the car going to the 2nd weekend gig and said "you'd better pull over, I have bad news!"
Shit, they found a gigantic tumor on the tests, I am thinking.
I kept driving. "Give me the bad news." I said. To which she replied "You have a broken spine."
I went ahead and did the gig anyway. The fracture left me mobile (kinda) and the break had been that way for 10 days, so we knew it wasn't an unstable fracture requiring surgery. Just really painful. Sitting wasn't as bad as standing and /or walking so I sat and played for the sets and hobbled directly to the car and sat there during the breaks.
I did buy a lumbar support hard chair pillow on the second day of the gig for the stage chair, which saved my ass (literally) Otherwise, I would have had no relief sitting or standing and since I can't play for a crowd lying horizontal, I would have been screwed completely. The people that hired me were really super, and I masked the pain pretty well. I only moaned, whined and cried when I was well off the stage and out of the building.... .
BTW, I had no good pain meds. (I do now though). So all in all it was tough. The only saving grace was my wife flew out to help me load up and drive back. She is a Physician's Assistant, so I had my own 'wet' nurse show up on the gig.... go figure.... haha
Anyway, as I sit typing now the pain is tolerable but I have to stay off my feet or the stabbing sensations start to motor up and within 10 minutes upright I am biting my tongue and crying like a little baby.... ;0)
Not sure who else has had to perform through injuries of this sort, but I am sure most of the veteran players on this list have stories too.
I am passing this on because I have been in too much pain to answer emails, and to really stay in touch with folks. I hope to at least get to the emails I have missed in the next few days.
Also.... I wanted to check in and let all my forum friends know I was not dead, (only half dead)
I actually have missed posting on the forum and staying in touch with you guys, as I have a lot of guitar buddies here.
So, I'm back, such as it is.... (ouch, ouch)
;0)
Doc Dosco
http://www.docdosco .com
Doc's Peerless guitar website
http://www.jazzguit arzone.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
Bob Hansmann
Don't push it. Relax and let it heal properly.
speedy recovery,
Bobby
rguitarjj
houseofcharm2
I recall one of our teachers fell from gravity boots on his low back from a clothes rod that slipped out of its mount when curling up to get out of the boots. Fractured at least one lateral process and took 2 hours to crawl to a phone. Got the broken segment adjusted(to the loud objections of the chiro friend of his)and then a body cast for a couple months. He said were it not for the adjustments, he would have had nerve damage.
Jeff
--- In jazz_...@yahoogroups.com, ROBERT FERRARI <robferrari@...> wrote:
>
> Hey, talk about "the show must go on"!!! Hang in there.
>
> Rob
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: thegoodwizard <doc@...>
thegoodwizard
--- In jazz_...@yahoogroups.com, "houseofcharm2" <drjeffnelson@...> wrote:
>
> Helluva story! Did they mention what's fractured, vertebral body(compression), lamina, spinous process, lateral process?
>
I am not hurting as much now and finally played my guitar a bit last night for the first time in 2 weeks. Haven't forgotten how to play, but the fingers weren't as nimble as they could have been. (more nimble than my spine though)
The X-Ray report read "Moderately severe compression fracture at L1. The superior endplate compressed 60 - 70% The remaining vertebral and intervertebral spaces are intact. (Thank God!!!)
It looks on the X-Ray like someone took a bite out of the top of the vertebra. However the disc in between is not herniated. I would have been really screwed had that occurred.
So, here is hoping I heal without chronic back problems. I already have chronic neck issues.
The other X-Ray I had done at the same time was of the of the cervical spine. That is the problem that has plagued me, messed my hands up for the past 15 years. I figured I might as well have a look at how bad that was.
That read:
Degenerative changes in lower cervical spine. Mildly severe disc space narrowing a C5, C6, C7. The diagnoses is 'degenerative spondylosis' at C5, C6, C7.
The nerves leading to my hands are being impinged right from my neck and it causes a chain reaction though the shoulder, elbow and wrist.
So, there it is. I simply could use a newer, less 'used' spine, top to bottom. I haven't found any for sale on-line, nor have I found anyone willing to install one even if one were to be had. ;0)
So, I guess I will have to do a 'work around' with what I still have that functions, which is still more than many, many others have, so I am very thankful for that.
Cheers,
Doc Dosco
http://www.docdosco.com